Public Involvement

Past Events and Activities

As the leader of the Sellwood Bridge planning project, Multnomah County organized a decision-making process that considered the views of all parties in order to lead to a sustainable decision based on regional consensus. From the start, it was believed that only a solution derived from broad community input would have the regional support needed for an implement-able, fund-able solution. The County has been and remains committed to engaging all parties in a transparent decision-making process.

Public input has greatly influenced project decision making and the selection of the preferred alternative. However, other important decisions remain. Public input will be sought on the bridge type, design and aesthetic treatments.

Phase 1: NEPA

Initial Outreach: Comments on Project Needs

Comments relating to the project's purpose and need were gathered by Multnomah County during its public outreach effort in the spring and summer of 2006 and from the July 6 Sellwood Bridge Community Task Force meeting.

First Public Event - October 25, 2006 Open House

Welcome, please sign in...

How wide is a 12-foot lane?

Visitors add to the "Issues Wall"

Issues Wall

The first public open house for the Sellwood Bridge project (the Scoping Open House) was held on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion in the Sellwood neighborhood.

The meeting had a drop-in open house format with an ongoing orientation program. The open house was publicized through a mass mailing to 23,000 households in the project vicinity, as well as through the media.

The goals for this open house were to identify the issues and concerns of the community and to gather background data to inform the alternatives development process for the Sellwood Bridge environmental impact statement (EIS). Project team members also gathered feedback on the project’s draft Purpose and Need Statement. Community input from this meeting will help shape the alternatives that will be evaluated in the EIS.

The second survey was posted on the project homepage from March 18 to April 13, 2007. The purpose of the survey was to collect public input on various bridge concepts - rehabilitation options, bridge alignments, bridge widths, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities - that will be narrowed down to a preferred alternative.

Second Public Event - April 4, 2007 Workshop

Help decide the future of this bridge

Steve Katko at second public event

Project Manager Michael Eaton at second public event

The second public event for the Sellwood Bridge project was held on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Sellwood Middle School gym. An estimated 330 people attended the workshop, which was announced in a newsletter and through numerous media outlets.

The goal for the workshop was to get input on the range of alignment, interchange, and cross-section concepts. Public input from the April 4 workshop will help decide the full range of concepts to be considered. The nearly 1,900 surveys that were collected (both online and at the workshop) will also help decide the full range of concepts.

Later steps will use those concepts to create a list of alternatives to be evaluated in the environmental impact statement and to select the preferred alternative.

Third Public Event - July 25, 2007 Open House

The third public event for the Sellwood Bridge project was held on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Sellwood Middle School gym. Presentations were held every 45 minutes to provide a project update and explain the results of the alternative screening process. Public input was collected on the alternatives.

Public comments from this event and the third survey will be reviewed by the Community Task Force and the project's technical team. The narrowed list of alternatives (as recommended by the Community Task Force and determined Policy Advisory Group) will be evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS). The Community Task Force will recommend a preferred alternative after reviewing the Draft EIS.

Survey #3, Alternatives Screening - July 26 through Sept. 9, 2007

The third survey for the Sellwood Bridge study was posted on the project homepage from July 26 to September 9, 2007. The purpose of this survey was to help narrow the range of various bridge concepts ‐ rehabilitation options, bridge alignments, bridge widths, and west end interchange types ‐ into a few complete bridge alternatives for further evaluation in the Draft EIS.

A companion program to the online survey (Build A Bridge) was also available on the project website. The tool allowed participants choose four required elements (rehabilitation and replacement options, interchange, alignment, and cross-section) to form complete bridge alternatives. The combinations of those elements created 124 possible alternatives to choose from. Participants used Build A Bridge to learn about potential impacts and how each alternative scored against the others.

Survey #4, Bridge Type Selection - Oct. 28 through Nov. 28, 2007

The fourth survey for the Sellwood Bridge study was posted on the project homepage from October 28 to November 28, 2007. The purpose of this survey was to obtain public input on the various bridge types being considered for a replacement Sellwood Bridge as well as a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian crossing.

Fourth Public Event - November 28, 2007 Open House

The fourth public event for the Sellwood Bridge project was held on Wednesday, November 28, 2007 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion. Presentations were held every hour, beginning at 6:00 pm, followed by a question and answer session. The goal for this meeting was to share information about the alternatives that have been selected for detailed analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), obtain public feedback on preferred bridge types for a replacement structure, and share information about potential funding sources.

Survey #5, Preferred Alternative - Nov. 28 through Dec. 22, 2008

The fifth online survey for the Sellwood Bridge study was posted on the project homepagefrom November 7 to December 22, 2008. This coincided with the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The purpose of this survey was to obtain public feedback on a locally-preferred alternative for the Sellwood Bridge project. As with the previous surveys, the information obtained was used to inform the project decision-makers. Responses to the Sellwood Bridge online survey were not considered to be official comments for the project record and were not responded to in the DEIS.

Draft EIS Hearing - December 10, 2008

Public hearing

Draft EIS Public Information and Comment Collection

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was available for public review and comment between November 7 and December 22, 2008. Comments received were considered by the Community Task Force and Policy Advisory Group in the selection of a Preferred Alternative. Comments will be responded to in the Final EIS.

September 30, 2009 - Public Open House

The sixth public event for the Sellwood Bridge project was held on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion. Around 130 people attended the two hour event. The goal for this meeting was to share revisions made to the preferred alternative that have been made since the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) was published. These revisions were made to comply with various agency policies and regulations. They include:

Phase 2: Bridge Type Selection

The sixth survey for the Sellwood Bridge study was posted on the project homepage from July 16 to August 8, 2010. The survey period coincided with a public open house on the bridge type selection that was held at Oaks Park on July 21. The purpose of this survey was to obtain public feedback on community values and bridge type selection preferences for the Sellwood Bridge replacement.

July 21, 2010 - Public Open House

A public open house and online survey was held to obtain public input on the type of new replacement bridge to be built. The open house was held at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion on July 21, 2010 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Over 100 people attended the meeting to tell the project about their preference on the bridge type.

Phase 3: Final Design

August 10, 2011 - Online Open House

An online (website only) open house was available on the Sellwood Bridge Project website from August 10 -22, 2011. The open house page was visited around 4,100 times by approximately 2,700 separate computers (visitors). 242 comments were received and posted publicly on the website “feedback walls”, and 204 respondents filled out an online comment form.

November 16, 2011 - Pre-Construction Open House

The ninth public event for the Sellwood Bridge project was held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Llewellyn Elementary School in Sellwood. Around 70 people attended the two hour event. The goal for the open house was to update the public on the project, review the latest designs and allow the public to discuss the upcoming construction phase with the project team.

April 17, 2012 - Macadam Bay Access Open House

An open house to address the access options was held on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 from 5-7 pm at David Evans and Associates in Portland.

The new interchange with Highway 43 and the Sellwood Bridge will require the Macadam Bay floating home community to have a different access than the present one. The current Macadam Bay driveway will be too close to the new bridge interchange to operate safely.

The project team has developed alternatives for a new access to Macadam Bay. Public input is being collected on the options this spring. The project team welcomes your comments. A final decision on the access is expected to be made by the Board of County Commissioners this June, as part of the approval of the project's final design.

May 17, 2012 - Macadam Bay Access / Regional Trail Options Meeting

Ian Cannon descibes the alternative concepts.

Members of the public comment on the alternatives.

Public ideas map (north)

Public ideas map (south)

This meeting was intended as an opportunity for property owners, businesses and residents in the Sellwood Bridge/Hwy 43 interchange area to continue the conversation about access alternatives for the Macadam Bay floating home community. The new interchange will require a new location for the Macadam Bay access. Another topic of discussion will be the alignment of the regional trail between Macadam Bay and SW Miles Street. The meeting was held on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion in Sellwood. Eighty-five people signed in at the meeting, of whom 40 provided oral comments.

The event included a background presentation and opportunities for the public to present comments to project committees, staff and representatives from decision making agencies.

Updates (June 5, 2012)

For the latest information about the Macadam Bay Access / Regional Trail decision process, please refer to the materials from the June 4, 2012 CAC (#11) meeting.

July 12, 2012 - Public Art Community Forum

Mikyoung Kim with her project manager Bill Madden

Concept aerial view

Concept profile view

A community forum on the public art project for the new Sellwood Bridge was held Thursday, July 12 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Oaks Park Dance Pavilion. The public art will be funded by the City of Portland, as required by city ordinance. The Regional Arts and Culture Council manages the public art project. Artist Mikyoung Kim presented her concept for the Sellwood Bridge Project. Kim, an award-winning international landscape architect and artist, spoke about her past work and presented her concept, the "Stratum Project," for community feedback.

October 17, 2012 - Miles Place Design Public Meeting

On Wednesday, October 17, a public meeting and design workshop was held regarding the design of the future Willamette Greenway Trail segment on SW Miles Place, as a part of the Sellwood Bridge project.

March 14, 2013 - Miles Place and West Regional Trail Design Public Meeting

On Thursday, March 14, a public meeting was held to present a proposed design for a section of regional trail on SW Miles Place south of Willamette Park and seek public input on the design. The regional trail needs to accommodate increased volumes of bicycle and pedestrian traffic that are forecast.